| Abstract: |
This study compares metrical data for craniofacial morphology in prehistoric population from Polynesia and Thailand. We measured 71 skulls (35 Polynesian and 36 Thai) and 87 mandibles (36 Polynesian and 51 Thai) directly. Lateral X-rays of 61 of the skulls were used for analysing the shape of the cranial base and nasopharyngeal airways. Xerox photocopies of the superior outline of the mandibular condyle were used to assess the condylar angulation. The statistical significance of intergroup and intersex differences was tested with Student's t-test for unpaired observations. All distances, except nasal width, nasopharyngeal length and intermaxillary dental relationship, were significantly smaller in females than in males. The most significant intergroup differences were found in the skull and upper face. The Polynesian head, nose, and maxillae were narrower than in the Thais. The intergroup difference in the width of the nasal aperture is in agreement with the hypothesis that nose shape reflects adaptation to climate. Using a different definition of cranial base from that of earlier studies we were able to speculate on the concepts of the Polynesian cranial base form.
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